


Time Will Tell

by Robin Hood (kjack89)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Friendship, M/M, Post-Season/Series 17, Pre-Season 18 Episode 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood
Summary: After a long moment, Olivia looked up at Rafael. “You have no idea what kind of position this puts me in,” she told him, her voice low.Rafael’s expression tightened. “I know, Liv,” he said quietly, “and I—”“I mean,” she interrupted, not letting him finish, “do I give you the ‘hurt him and I hurt you’ speech, or do I save that for Carisi?” Rafael stared at her blankly. “After all, you’re one of my best friends, and he’s…”A smile again twitched at the corners of Rafael’s mouth. “A perpetual pain in the ass?” he supplied.She ignored him. “Family.”
Relationships: Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 233





	Time Will Tell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Larkin21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larkin21/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Burned](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17999630) by [Robin Hood (kjack89)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kjack89/pseuds/Robin%20Hood). 



> Larkin21 asked for a follow-up to [Burned](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17999630), and I hadn't really thought about it before, and the next thing you know, this happened.
> 
> While this is ostensibly a follow-up, it's vague in the details enough that you really don't need to have read it to understand what's going on here. Ostensibly set before season 18 starts, but again, we're being hand-wavey with the details so meh.
> 
> Usual disclaimer. Please be kind and tip your fanfic writers in the form of comments and/or kudos!

“So,” Olivia started mildly, tapping the stem of her wine glass with one finger as she looked at Rafael, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t tell you about Carisi and me,” he hedged, and she shrugged, taking a sip of wine. “In my defense, you were in Paris, and I figured it wasn’t the long distance phone bill.”

“Last I checked, they get email in France,” Olivia said, amused more than anything by how out of sorts Rafael was. Every other encounter they’d ever had was marked by a thoroughly unruffled Rafael who always, always had the upper hand.

Except, it would seem, for now.

She saved him from floundering for an answer by changing tacks. “So this all started when I was in Paris, then? Not before that?”

If possible, Rafael looked even more uncomfortable than before. “Not quite,” he muttered, his ears burning red, and he drained his glass of scotch, looking desperately around for their waitress to order a refill. After he had, he sighed and turned back to her, not quite mighting her eyes. “It started...well, I suppose if we’re being literal, it started after Sgt. Dodds’ funeral, but the truth is, for me at least, it started quite a bit before that.”

Olivia thought about digging a bit more into that, but as if realizing his mistake, Rafael had turned a nasty shade of puce and grabbed his newly-refilled glass of scotch, and she decided to avoid that statement. For now at least.

“So Mike Dodds’ funeral,” she said instead. “What, were you making out in the bar and I just didn’t notice?”

Rafael made a face. “Nothing so crass,” he informed her dryly. “There was a – a moment, I suppose. Between Sonny and I. We were talking about the death threats, and—” He broke off, but this time, he didn’t seem embarrassed. If anything, he seemed to be smiling, just slightly, at the memory, an almost involuntary twitch of the corners of his mouth as he stared off into space. 

Then, abruptly, he shook his head, his expression clearing. “And then, well, we were still at a funeral. Or an Irish wake at that point, I suppose. I went home, and I figured the moment would pass. Instead, Sonny showed up at my apartment about an hour later.”

He fell silent again, and Olivia arched an eyebrow at him. “And?” she prompted.

Rafael cleared his throat. “And he didn’t leave again until the next morning,” he said delicately.

Olivia laughed lightly and shook her head. “You can spare me any further details,” she told Rafael, who rolled his eyes, even if he did look slightly relieved at that. “And you’ve been together ever since?”

Rafael shrugged. “More or less.”

Olivia nodded slowly, her amusement fading as she traced an idle finger around the rim of her wine glass. After a long moment, she looked up at Rafael. “You have no idea what kind of position this puts me in,” she told him, her voice low.

Rafael’s expression tightened. “I know, Liv,” he said quietly, “and I—”

“I mean,” she interrupted, not letting him finish, “do I give you the ‘hurt him and I hurt you’ speech, or do I save that for Carisi?” Rafael stared at her blankly. “After all, you’re one of my best friends, and he’s…”

A smile again twitched at the corners of Rafael’s mouth. “A perpetual pain in the ass?” he supplied.

She ignored him. “Family.” She looked pointedly at him. “Hence the difficult position I find myself in here.”

Rafael’s smile faded. “If or when this all goes south with him and I, I promise I won’t make you choose sides.”

Olivia was slightly taken aback by that. “Should I be concerned about it going south already?” she asked, trying to keep her tone mild.

Rafael’s eyes widened as he realized how she’d taken what he’s said. “No, God no,” he assured her, barking a laugh as he drew a hand across his face. “No, we’re...good, for lack of a better term, at the moment. But…”

He trailed off and Olivia examined him closely. “But what?”

Rafael sighed. “But he’s...he’s Sonny. He’s a good man, a sweet man, and so goddamn  _ nice _ , and I’m, well…” He gestured dismissively at himself. “I’m old. Cynical.”

“Tired,” Olivia added with a small and slightly sad half-smile, recognizing what he was describing far too well.

Rafael nodded. “Exactly,” he said. “And one day, he will wake up and realize he could do so much better than me.” He shrugged, looking down at his glass of scotch. “And I suppose at that point, there won’t be anyone’s side to take.”

Olivia pursed her lips. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“What, that you won’t have to take anyone’s side?” Rafael asked, dry enough that she knew he wasn’t serious, and she settled for just giving him a look in response.

“No, that he’ll somehow think he can do better.” She leaned forward, reaching out to gently set her hand on top of Rafael’s. “He loves you, you know.”

Rafael jerked back, his eyes widening, and Olivia realized a moment too late by the look on his face that they must not have said that to each other yet. “Did he – did he say—?”

She shook her head. “No,” she assured him, watching as he sagged, half in relief, from the looks of it, and half in disappointment. “But he didn’t have to. I can tell.”

Rafael eyed her warily. “Well forgive me for not taking your word for it,” he muttered, before adding, slightly sourly, “And I’m not nearly desperate enough to ask how you can tell.”

“Good, because I wasn’t going to tell you,” Olivia said evenly. “Other than to say that it’s the same way I can tell that you love him.” Rafael’s eyes flickered up to hers and away again, but he couldn’t seem to find it in himself to deny it, and Olivia shook her head slowly. “Carisi said it wasn’t serious enough yet that you needed to disclose.”

Rafael’s brow furrowed. “And it’s not.”

Olivia just gave him a look. “You love him and he loves you, and that’s not enough to merit a disclosure?”

“Not when we clearly haven’t reached the point of telling each other that yet,” Rafael shot back.

Again, Olivia was tempted to pursue that line of questioning, to suss out exactly why Rafael hadn’t yet had that particular conversation with Carisi, but decided against it. “I see,” she said instead, as the waitress brought them both a refill. “So what’s your move, then?”

Rafael blinked. “Pardon?”

“I mean, do you declare your love to him and then ask to disclose, or suggest the disclosure and casually slip in the fact that you love him?”

She asked it lightly enough, but Rafael still scowled at her. “I haven’t exactly thought about it,” he huffed.

Olivia laughed. “And I’m about one hundred percent certain that you have.”

For a moment, it looked like Rafael might deny it, but once again, he couldn’t quite stop his smile. “Maybe,” he admitted, and Olivia’s smile widened.

“So?” she prodded.

Rafael glowered at her, which would have been more impressive if he wasn’t still fighting against the smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. “So there are some things I intend to keep to myself,” he said snippily. “The fact that you’re my best friend and Sonny’s lieutenant aside, you’re not entitled to know every detail of my life. Particularly the embarrassing ones.” He paused, his expression turning wary at the look on Olivia’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You think I’m one of your best friends?” she asked.

Rafael rolled his eyes so hard it looked physically painful. “Yes, and please tell me there aren’t disclosure forms I need to sign for that, as well.” He gave her a baleful look. “And definitely don’t let Rita Calhoun know, she’ll be heartbroken after all these years of assuming she’s my best friend.”

Olivia laughed “I won’t,” she promised, though she couldn’t help but ask, “When did you tell her about Carisi?”

Rafael shrugged unconcernedly. “I haven’t yet.”

“Should I be flattered?”

Rafael snorted. “With my assumption that you would be less likely to mock me for the rest of my waking days that she is?” He smirked at her. “You tell me.”

Olivia laughed again. “Fair enough.” She raised her glass of wine in a mock toast. “I’ll only make fun of you for the rest of the month at most.”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “Ah, true friendship.” He nonetheless lifted his own glass and clinked it against Olivia’s, hesitating before taking his next sip. “It’s not serious enough yet for us to disclose.”

“Our friendship or your relationship with my detective?” Olivia asked jokingly.

But Rafael didn’t smile. “My relationship with your detective. It’s not serious enough yet, but for what it’s worth, I have no intention of ending this before it gets to that point. So if you never see disclosure forms, it won’t be because of me.”

Olivia’s smile faded. “I know, Rafa,” she said quietly.

Rafael jerked a nod before draining his glass of scotch. “And now, if you don’t mind me cutting this whole evening a little short, Sonny has promised to make up for everything that’s happened today in several creative ways that you absolutely no not need any details about.”

He made as if to stand but Olivia just arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh, is he done for the evening, then?” she asked mildly.

Rafael made a show of looking at his watch. “Seeing as how it’s past 9 and SVU hasn’t caught a case yet—”

“Didn’t he tell you?” Olivia asked innocently.

Rafael eyed her warily. “Tell me what?”

“In exchange for my silence about this whole state of affairs, he’s doing all of my paperwork. And given how much has already landed on my plate on my first night back from Paris…”

“Don’t tell me,” Rafael groaned, already sitting back down. 

Olivia smirked at him. “Looks like you have time for another drink, at least,” she said cheerfully.

Rafael glared balefully at her. “I’m going to regret telling you, aren’t I?” he sighed.

Olivia just shrugged. “Technically, Carisi told me, not you, so if you want to blame anyone, blame your boyfriend.”

Rafael made a face. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to thinking of Carisi as my boyfriend,” he said, but Olivia could tell by the warmth in his voice and the way he couldn’t quite stop his smile that he didn’t mean it.

So she just shrugged and took a sip of wine. “I think you will,” she said evenly.

Rafael glanced at her, surprised. “You do?”

“Sure,” Olivia said. “Give it time.” She waited until Rafael had taken a sip of scotch before adding blithely, “Besides, I imagine it’ll get easier to think of him as your boyfriend than when you inevitably think of him as your fiancé.”

Rafael promptly choked on his scotch and Olivia allowed herself a triumphant smile before taking another sip of wine. Turnabout was fair pay, after all, and this was what he got for not telling her sooner.


End file.
